The technology relates to a toner that includes a fluorescent pigment, a toner container using the toner, a developing unit using the toner, an image forming apparatus using the toner, and a toner manufacturing method.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus has become widely used. The widespread use of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is owing to its capability of forming a vivid image in a shorter time than other types of image forming apparatuses such as inkjet image forming apparatuses do.
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a print medium using a toner. In a process of forming the image, the toner attached to an electrostatic latent image is transferred onto the print medium, and thereafter, fixed to the print medium.
In order to form a luminescent image, a luminescent toner containing a fluorescent pigment is used. Various proposals have been made for the luminescent toner containing the fluorescent pigment.
For example, to suppress so-called fogging, a luminescent toner is manufactured using a fluorescent pigment or a fluorescent substance dissolved in ethyl acetate by means of a dissolution suspension method, without the use of a pigment dispersant. The amount of the fluorescent pigment dissolved in the ethyl acetate is adjusted within a predetermined range. Reference is made to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-025929, for example.